1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices for protection of human hearing and, more particularly, is concerned with a versatile hearing protection system assembly for use by persons active in noise intensive environments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Levels of noise potentially harmful to the human hearing system are common in a number of diverse settings, for example, work, home, and recreational environments. Several approaches have been proposed in the prior art to protect hearing by reducing the amount of noise reaching persons hearing systems.
One approach to noise reduction in the prior art is the provision of a headset having an expandable semi-circular band that fits over the top of a wearer's head and a pair of cup-shaped members mounted to the opposite ends of the band for covering the wearer's ears. The main drawbacks of the headset approach to noise reduction is high cost and user discomfort both of which are attributable to the size and weight of the headset and the total enclosure of the wearer's ears.
Another approach to noise reduction in the prior art is the provision of a pair of ear plugs which fit into the canals of a wearer's ears. The ear plugs are provided separately or with a cord for attaching them together. Examples of such approach are illustrated and described in German Patent Document No. DE 3304 362 Al to Schleicher, U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,372 to Bivins and U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,553 to Westerdal.
The provision of ear plugs is believed to be the preferred one of the two cited approaches. However, none of the devices of the cited prior art patent references are felt to represent a particularly desirable nor highly satisfactory solution to the problem of how best to protect human hearing from high levels of environmental noise.
Consequently, a pressing need remains unfulfilled for an improved approach to hearing protection in noise intensive settings.